A Parallel Universe
by Minnoe
Summary: Years have passed and Brave Vesperia has prospered. But even the great commandant of the empire can't fight the steady march of time as a visit to the guild's city forces Flynn to realize that Yuri's life is simply a parallel universe.
1. Together Again?

A/N: I do not own Tales of Vesperia (And also, I haven't finished the game so this may not be consistent with the ending.)

The clang of metallic footsteps was no cause for alarm in the nostalgic cobble-stoned streets of Vesperion, yet people stopped, staring and whispering to their friends, as a young blonde man strode briskly down the side of the street, flanked by a slight brunette boy and a fierce-looking redheaded female, intimidating even for the city standards. Their pace quickened as they neared the city center, a wordless consent passing among them.

"Commandant," the woman started, but was cut off by their third companion with a quick, curt shake of the head. The group was subject to even more stares, this time laced with hostility, as they passed a rather large group of guild members, identified by their bright, sparkling pendants, brooches, and everything in between, twisted into a strange cross-like pattern.

"Er... Flynn," she corrected herself as a dozen virulent pairs of eyes were suddenly trained on her, a dozen sets of hands inching hungrily towards their weapons. Her own hand flew to the sword strapped onto her waist as a particularly unsettling young girl carefully examined the blade of her gold-guarded epee, her bone straight smokey blue side ponytail swinging sharply from side to side as she slid off the wooden crate she had been seated on.

"Commandant, eh?" She purred, undertones of venom coursing through her words. Men twice her size split to let her pass, the beige cotton of her mid-thigh length dress fluttering behind her. There was a significant slit on the left side, reaching from the hem to her hips, revealing a glimpse of jet black shorts, a plain knife strapped onto her thigh. The neck of the dress was formed by a long piece of fabric, gathered at her shoulders before falling into two strips that flew behind her as she walked.

"Should we apprehend them, Rosella?" A nearby man asked, fingering his charcoal black scythe with grizzled attachment.

"No," the girl held up her hand without turning. "They haven't done anything. _Yet._"Her voice sent shivers up the young commandant's spine as she clicked her epee back into its holder on her left hip. "What is your business here, _Commandant_?"

It took a few seconds for Flynn to realize she was addressing him. "I need to speak to your leader, Yuri Lowell," he said, straining to keep his voice from wavering.

Silence immediately fell over the guild members as they cast nervous glances at each other, awaiting their leader's decision. Flynn could feel both Sodia and Witcher tense beside him as whispers began to fill the street. The girl, for she could be barely older than fourteen, conferred briefly with a tall man before sending him running down the street and nodding to the trio.

"Very well," she said after a long pause. "Follow me." The girl spun on her heel, padding off down the crowded street. As she turned to change streets, she cupped her hand like a megaphone, letting out a holler louder than any would believe possible from the slight girl. "You coming or not?" She yelled, making it seem like she was still standing just a few deadly feet away from the blonde.

"D-do we follow, sir?" Witcher stammered from his left, clutching his dusty book like a lifeline, his bony knuckles rapidly turning a ghostly white as more and more guild members appeared on the scene, drawn by the ruckus of the shout.

Flynn let out a long sigh, blowing his blonde bangs off his face. "I suppose we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Sodia and Witcher quickly fell in step after him as they rejoined the girl, who meandered idly on Flynn's right, much to Sodia's annoyance.

"You know, Miss Rosella, usually we take _out_ the trash," a man hollered from the shadows of a building, smoldering cigar in hand. The girl turned her venomous gaze quickly, unclipping her sword and advancing on the man.

"These people are Brave Vesperia's guests. I suggest you rescind that last statement or hand over that crest right now," she hissed, sword pointing at his chest.

"S-so sorry, Rosella! So very, very sorry!" The man stammered, dropping his forgotten cigar onto the dusty ground.

"For your sake, I hope you are," she replaced her thin sword before returning to the commandant's group. A glittering crest winked from the fist of her hand.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said with a bright smile before starting to walk without warning.

"Um, are you always," Flynn hesitated. He was standing on foreign soil, no need to push his luck. "...so quick to draw your sword on guild members?"

She tossed him a sideways glance before shrugging. "Yeah, I suppose. We don't accept many members, so we have real tight quality controls, you know?"

_"I wish,"_ Flynn thought bitterly as he remembered passing knights in the hallway he had never heard of or seen before in his life.

"Only the real good fighters get in," Rosella continued, unaware of her subject's inner distractions. "But we still have to weed out the sleaze balls after that. It's easy to be on your best behavior for a month. _Then_ you get see their real character."

"Ah, I see," Flynn smiled, feigning interest. Judging by the looks Sodia and Witcher were exchanging, he didn't have a career in acting ahead of him.

"Am I boring you?" The girl turned to him as she walked. "Well _excuse _me, _madam_, but _you _asked." She tossed her short side bangs out of her eyes as Sodia let out a choked noise behind her.

"I apologize," Flynn replied evenly. _"Never attack in anger. Never attack in anger,"_ his knightly mind chanted to him. _"Come closer and say that!"_ the more flamboyant part of his mind yelled at him. Ignoring the latter of the two personalities, Flynn smiled placidly at the girl. "I had no intent of offending you."

Rosella just stared at him, her eyes flashing both confusion and disgust. "Fucking knights," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for all of them to hear. She quickened her pace, forcing Flynn, and in turn Sodia and Witcher, to do the same. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, not to mention grab the aforementioned knife and cut you right back.

"We're here," Rosella stated airily, as if oblivious to the tension skulking around the scene, as they stopped in front of a large marble building, the Brave Vesperia crest engraved larger than life onto its huge wooden doors. "The library, Brave Vesperia Headquarters, emergency civilian relief center, and city monster shelter, all wrapped up in one," she added, walking up to the doors.

With a light heave, the oaken doors swung open, Rosella striding in without hesitation, giving Flynn and his subordinates no choice but to follow. A crisp, book-like smell pleasantly filled his nostrils as the blond commandant entered the center, taking in a sharp breath as he saw the place that unfurled before him. An enormous room, perhaps the size of the field where he often took his knights to practice, stood mightily before him, scholars and guild members weaving in and out through oak bookshelves that dwarfed them to the size of ants. He walked forward, putting his hands on the railing that separated the balcony he was standing on from the library, a word of awe traced upon his lips.

"Like what you see, huh? Me, too!" Flynn spun around as a deep voice filled his ears. There stood Yuri Lowell, childhood best friend of Flynn Scifo and unofficial boss of Brave Vesperia.

"Y-yuri!" He managed to stammer out. Who knew why, but his heart was beating rather fast for his liking. The commandant liked to think he wasn't an easy person to surprise, but apparently so, as Yuri had demonstrated with ease. The guild master looked not a day older than the last time Flynn had seen him, his hair now tied up in a high ponytail. Even his vanity and masculinity combined were no match for the powerful dry heat in Vesperion.

"You bring 'em here, Rosy?" Yuri asked the girl, leaning casually against the railing. "Good girl."

"I'm not a dog, Yuri," Rosella replied, rolling her eyes. "Urine," she muttered under her breath, adding a little chuckle.

"I see you've met Rosy," Yuri pressed on, ignoring the girl. "She might be young, but she's a team leader. As much as you might be inclined to think otherwise." This provoked a loud protest from the girl, rebounded by a much calmer rebuttal from Yuri.

_"I feel like someone just socked me,"_ Flynn thought wryly as he was promptly forgotten, the scene reminiscent of when their childhood bouts had gotten just a little out of control. Only now he was the observer, the third wheel. The two continued their friendly banter for a spell, voices flying higher and higher.

"Urine! Urine! Urine!" The girl was now screaming at the top of her lungs, the nickname bouncing off the cavernous library walls.

"Miss Rosella?" A librarian crept up, adjusting his glasses nervously. "You're disrupting the flow of the library..."

The girl looked at him, seemingly dumbstruck for a moment, before letting out a light giggle.

"Oops," she whispered, smiling brightly. "Sorry 'bout that."

The librarian smiled gently and patted her shoulder with a fond "It's alright," before hobbling back off through the maze of bookshelves.

"Good going, Rosy," the guild master grumbled quietly as he pushed himself off the elaborate marble balcony railing.

"Hey, like you've never gotten that," the younger girl replied, rolling her eyes. "Let's get to the meeting room before that one old hag comes to see what the fuss is."

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The young commandant felt a sudden urge to remove his shoes as he stepped onto the plush scarlet carpeting in the decidedly small room Brave Vesperia called their base, most of the scant space taken up by an imposing marble table proudly standing in the middle of the room. A large window overlooked most of the coastal city, the pane opened to let in a crisp sea breeze. Light filled the room easily, illuminating every nook and cranny with a sharp, friendly light.

Time seemed to stop as Flynn stood in the doorway of the room, unwilling to step in and ruin the sheer perfectness of the atmosphere. His two guides lithely padded around him, completing the picture-perfect view like two Rhygbaro standing confidently over the plains.

"Your friend's a little easily impressed," Rosella whispered to her "boss" loudly, snapping Flynn sharply back into reality. Her violet eyes ever so slightly widened as she realized the rest of the room's occupants could hear her easily, but she quickly covered her surprise with a self-assured flip of her deep blue hair.

The blond commandant nervously cleared his throat, the pointed noise bouncing aimlessly off the white marble walls. His footfalls were muted as he practically waded through the thick carpet, letting out a slight grunt as he pulled out a heavy marble chair. As he sat down, with Sodia and Witcher standing dutifully behind him, he couldn't ignore the bemused gazes of both Yuri, who was seated across from -- no flung across the chair on the other side of the table, and the apparently high-ranking member of Brave Vesperia, who was leaning rather haphazardly on the back of the marble seat, a smirk painted on her face as she stared at Sodia and Witcher.

"So, Flynn the Great has finally come to visit our humble abode," Yuri chuckled, emphasizing the rather insulting nickname.

A sigh huffed out from his chest. "Yuri," Flynn averted his eyes from the relaxed posture of his friend, carefully maintaining his own ramrod straight position. "Don't call me that..." He said, feeling his mouth drop into a frown.

The girl briefly leaned down, her mouth moving quickly next to Yuri's ear. He couldn't be too sure, but Flynn heard the words blondie, depressed, and barbie fell from her lips somewhere during their brief whispered exchange.

"So, then, Flynn," Yuri pulled himself up straight, palms pressed flat against the white marble table. "You didn't come here to just chat." It was a statement, not a question. "Spit it out. What's up?"

If Flynn was feeling offended that Yuri didn't even entertain the remote possibility that he might have come over just to see his friend, the commandant's sense of duty quickly took over as he cleared his throat for the second time.

"You're right, for once," he cracked a weak smile across the table. "I do have a problem with Brave Vesperia." He was straining to keep his tone light, but his voice was darkening with every syllable. "Your men--" A cough. "Your _people_ are attacking knights that stray to close to Vesperion. This cannot continue. I must ask for immediate action." By the end of his brief spiel, his tone was darker than Yuri's hair.

"I'm sorry, are you saying you were attacked when you were coming here?" Flynn looked up, surprised, as Rosella suddenly piped up, taking a step closer to the table. He could almost hear Sodia thinking about the improperness of the action from her position on his right.

"No, but I've been receiving reports that knights have been attacked on or near Brave Vesperia territory."

"And what were said knights _doing_ on our territory?"

Flynn's frown deepened as he stared at the girl. "You know that imperial people are allowed on guild land, and vice versa. It's in the friendship treaty."

She let out a long tsk. "No, what I meant was what were the knights doing while on our territory?"

"O-oh, uhm, well," Flynn glanced behind himself at Sodia, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug of the shoulders, the only movement in her otherwise stone still visage. He sighed. "I'm afraid I do not know."

Flynn glanced, now, at his friend, who seemed to be miles away from the meeting room, perhaps flying through the brisk sky or swimming through the salty ocean. If it were old times, he would've given him a smack. _"If it were old times, we'd be on the same side of the table,"_ he thought bitterly.

The dark haired man then turned to Rosella, offering her a lazy smile and a nod. She returned the grin before drawing a small leather bound book from a drawer under the table.

"Well, permit me to enlighten you, _commandant_," she lightly threw the small tome to Yuri, who leafed casually through the brittle pages before clearing his throat.

"This is a report from guild member Marta Lualdi," he stated, one arm tucked over the back of his chair, the other carelessly holding the book open. "We found some no good knights harassing civilians in the South Quarters today. Emil was so amazing, the way he stood up to those knights! I love him I love him I love him! Anyway, we gave them a beating they won't soon forget!" And with a sarcastically girly giggle, Yuri closed the book with a thump.

Why was his heart beating so fast right now? Why did he feel so angry when Yuri said those three little words, albeit repeated three times?

"Hey, Barbie, we're back here down on Earth," an adolescent voice cut sharply into his mind. Man, Yuri had rubbed off on that girl.

"B-barbie?" Flynn heard a female voice splutter from behind him. He shot a discreet glance back just in time to see his second-in-command's hands turn completely white.

"At ease, Sodia," he muttered, quiet enough to stop the sound from reaching the other end of the table.

"B-but, Commandant, she called you..." Sodia hesitated, unwilling to continue. "_Barbie_," she puckered slightly as she said the name, like she had eaten a particularly sour candy.

"At ease, Sodia," he repeated, this time firmly, and shot her a deadly warning glance. Now not only were her hands white, but her face was drained to a lovely matching hue. With a sigh, the young commandant faced once again his rather vocal opponents.

"And how do we know that report is completely accurate?" Flynn asked, running an armored hand through his blond hair.

"You're questioning the veraciousness of our guild members?" Yuri raised a dark eyebrow, sliding the book back to its resting place under the table.

_"Okay, heart, don't fail me now,"_ Flynn gritted his teeth as he drew a harsh breath. "Well, I mean no offense, Yuri, but--"

"Hey, will you look at the sun. It's getting pretty late," Yuri noted with a flick of his hair. He motioned to Rosella, bouncing her hand up and down over his. "Rosy, will you show our guests their rooms?"

A sigh. "I suppose," she bent down, laying a quick peck on his cheek, before crossing the room in a few swift strides.

"Commandant," she nodded to Flynn curtly. "Please follow me." with a turn of the heel and a swish of smokey blue hair, she was off. Jerking his head quickly towards his two companions, Flynn followed her rather brisk pace down the well lit hallway, the windows revealing the rather dizzying height the headquarters stood above Vesperion. After following the girl through a twisting maze of hallways and doors, she turned the knob on a rather extravagant door. Pushing it open, Flynn had to admit his breath hitched, just a tiny bit.

The main room was spacious and airy, a short brown carpet with a deep blue flowering design filling the space. A window across from the main door, covering the entirety of the wall, admitted a peachy flow of light into the room. Four smaller doors stood confidently on the remaining two walls, shadows falling off them like ravens dive bombing the earthy floor. A dazzlingly life-like forest was painted onto the walls, replete with filtered light hitting the earthen ground and curly fungi giving off a strangely comforting glow. Crossing the room hastily, Rosella pulled a slim silver key out of her knife belt, slipping it into the keyhole of one of the doors, pulling it open with a gentle tug.

"Wow..." Witcher breathed as he peeked a head inside one of the rooms. In an instant he was gone, the door closing with a click behind him.

"He's such a kid," Sodia sighed as she remained by his side, shifting her weight awkwardly from side to side as their guide opened two more of the doors with a soft click. Flynn was ushered, or as someone of a crasser nature might say, pushed, into the room, he urgently motioned to the young girl as soon as Sodia was out of sight. She came in warily, like a panther approaching a rather suspicious meal.

"Yes?" The suspicion was coming off her voice in peals.

"Well," Flynn bit his lip and forced his mouth into cooperation. "Are you and Yuri... romantically involved?"

The question hung sharply in the earthy room, this one modeled like a grassy, rolling plain. Even the carpet was a mock-up of the tall grass that brushed the painted horizon. A herd of Rhygbaro gazed warily over the plain, their painted eyes so sentient it almost seemed as if they were waiting for the answer as much as he was.

Clear violet eyes pierced cloudy sapphire pools as she regarded him evenly. _Too_ evenly.

"Are Yuri and I romantically involved," she repeated, her gaze unwavering. "Tell me, Commandant, do you have any sisters?"

"W-well, no, but Lady Estellise is almost like a sister," Flynn blinked and glanced down, unable to keep up with the intensity of her gaze. "But what does that have to do with the nature of yours and Yuri's relationship?"

"And, Commandant," she continued, seemingly ignoring him, "are you planning on having an affair with this Estellise character any time soon?"

Roses are overrated. The next time you want something red for your hun on Valentine's Day, try a bundle of Flynns after he hears something like _that_.

"N-no! Of course not!" His voice was rising above appropriate indoor levels, yet there was nothing he could do about it. The scandal alone of something like _that_ happening was too much to think about.

"Hey, you really have a knack for answering your own questions!" Rosella finally broke off the unofficial staring match, flashing him a bright smile. "Although I'm not sure if my voice would of cracked like that."

"M-my voice did not crack!" He wasn't a juvenile teenage boy, for goodness sakes.

"Course not, Commandant," she shot him a sarcastically patronizing look, taking a few steps towards the white door before pausing, deceivingly delicate hand floating above the doorknob. "Do you have any other obscenely ridiculous questions to ask me?"

"Well..." It wasn't _obscenely _ridiculous -- after all, she had given him a kiss on the cheek... but then again that wasn't an uncommon thing for families to do. Not that he knew. "Is Yuri... romantically involved with _anyone_?"

Her smile darkened almost imperceptibly. "Well..."

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A/N: Well, the first chapter of my Vesperia fanfic done... and I'm not even finished with the game. Please, stop looking at me like that. And also, please review! Reviews make my world go round.

To anyone who's read My Watermelon Candy, I'm sorry, but it might be a while before I start posting the sequel. I'm not feeling very Bleach-motivated for now...


	2. Another Day in the Life

"Well?" Flynn repeated, staring at the girl. She insistently avoided his gaze, twirling the crest she wore curled around her finger, a makeshift ring. It twisted around the entire length of her index finger, a small silver hinge attached at her joints to provide movement for the digit.

"There is this... one woman," she finished lamely, bigger fish flimsily veiled behind glassy eyes.

Flynn could feel irritation rising. "And?" He pressed, harsher in reality than what rang through in his head.

"If I'm right about this, then you already know her," Rosella muttered, clenching her fist.

"Tell me who she is!" Flynn shouted, his hand hovering over his sword. When had his temper gotten so short? Was it the long, grinding hours as commandant, or was it... indecent feelings for his best friend? No, no, it couldn't be that. They didn't exist... right?

In an instant, her sword was halfway out of its holder. "Meg Williams," she growled, muscles tensed.

Flynn forced his hand down from the heavily worn hilt of his sword. "That name..." He trailed off, going deep into the recesses of his mind.

_"Sir Flynn?" Flynn looked up as the greying council member strode into his room._

_"Yes, Sir Williams?"_

_The imposing man came to a slow halt in front of the young commandant's desk, his richly ringed hand resting heavily on the mahogany desk. A long sheaf of paper floated down from the elderly hand to land gently in front of the blonde._

_"Sign here," Willams pointed to a long black line at the bottom of the page. At the moment, the only work Flynn was up to was taking a nice long nap, and the only thing stopping him from quickly excusing himself from the room or physically grabbing the wretched man by the pants and throwing him out the window was his rather overwhelming sense of duty. Or perhaps it was that nagging feeling in back of his mind telling him that throwing a council member out a five story high window was a bad idea. Either way, Flynn reluctantly picked up his fountain pen for what seemed to be the billionth time that day and hastily scrawled his signature on the expensive parchment._

_"Both Meg and I thank you, Sir Flynn," were Williams only words before sweeping out of the room._

"The paper about..." Flynn pause. "About..." His blood froze as he turned to Rosella. "I have no idea what I signed."

The girl fixed him up with a rather confused gaze, the kind one usually reserves for the crazy old man sitting on the corner talking to himself. Or perhaps Raven when he's peeping through the partition in the hot springs.

"I apologize. Let me explain," Flynn motioned for her to sit as they crossed the room to the ornate iron garden chairs, painfully conspicuous on the grassy plain made of paint. The Rhygbaro, he noted, were still watching them with silent, measured eyes.

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"I knew it," Rosella muttered. "I knew it. I knew it. I knew it! I knew that slut was connected to the empire!"

"Don't use such crass language," Flynn sighed, massaging his forehead. What a mess. What was a councilor's... wife? Daughter? Whatever she was, what was she doing here?

Rosella glared at him with the patented look one gives to a particularly dense person. "Don't you have more important things to worry about right now? Like what the _hell_ you signed?"

"Please, don't--" There was that glare again. "But--"

"Shut up!" Rosella's eyes flashed dangerously as she flew out of her chair. She sucked in a heavy breath. "I'm going to tell Yuri."

"No!" Flynn grabbed her arm tugging her sharply away from the door. "We don't know what the paper is! Miss Williams may be innocent!"

He barely had time to bring his sword up as the thin blade came crashing down on his. Without warning, the girl twisted, bringing her foot up to smash into his side. Flynn tensed for the blow, steeling his body. Seconds passed before he realized he wasn't going to be hit, minutes before it registered that the pressure on his sword was gradually decreasing.

"Er," Rosella grunted, more of a grumble than an apology as she clipped her sword back to her hip. "It's just... force of habit."

Before he could press what kind of life would force that kind of habit, she was already at the door.

"Sorry, Barbie, but this is too important to let slide. Even if she is your councilor's..." she shook her head. "Whatever she is." The door slid open with a small squeak as she eased it open, her slight figure sliding out of the grassy plain.

"Wait!" Flynn yelled, throwing the door open. "Stop!"

It all happened just like how the knights were taught to do when a prisoner was escaping. Only this time, it wasn't a textbook or a training field. Two doors flew open, two figures charging out of them, one a glowing fireball, the other a girl, steel in hand. Rosella tensed like a spring, a flick of the wrist sending a knife flying at Sodia.

The blade sank hungrily into the knight's shoulder, yet she carried on, slashing harshly at the younger girl, who had barely dodged the fireball by dropping to the ground, leaving her back wide open. A thick scarlet slash smiled from her back as Rosella suddenly twisted, using her arm as a pivot and simultaneously throwing her legs into the air, flying at the knight's head.

With a grunt, she flung her legs out, hitting her target literally head-on. With a ear-shattering impact, Sodia crashed into the nearby wall with a sickening crunch, driving the thin knife further into her body.

"Cease fire!" Flynn yelled as Witcher began preparing another spell. The surprised boy dispelled his spelling circle, the purple glow fading into the carpet.

"S-sir?" He stuttered, his hands protectively in front of his face, as if to guard his eyes from the staggering, bleeding guild member before him.

"Dammit!" Flynn ran over to Sodia, a green glow already surrounding his hands as he knelt down. "I didn't mean to stop her with _force_!"

"H-hey, no need to use such crass language," he looked up to see Rosella standing, or rather, limping, over him, holding herself up with her bloodied sword. A victorious grin was slathered on her face, cutting through the obvious pain she was feeling.

"I... urgh," she trailed off as she quietly vomited a steady stream of blood onto his lap. Quite louder was the sound of Witcher gagging in the background.

"Heh," she coughed, wiping her mouth on her bare forearm. "Serves you right, Barbie." Seating herself with another sputter of blood, she gingerly laid down.

"If I don't wake up, I'll haunt you for eternity," she lazily informed the commandant as she closed her eyes. A few moments later soft snores filled the room. Biting his lip, Flynn refocused on the task at hand -- his second command with only hours left, if he didn't do something fast. Rosella had inflicted more damage than what met the eye with her knife, the silver blade lodged just between the sternum and the top of the humerus. Letting his hands hover over the blade, Flynn yanked it out with one hand, completing the First Aid spell with the other.

Sodia let out a low groan as the spell's healing light hit her wounds, eyes fluttering open.

"Sir..." She looked up into Flynn's eyes, a deep beet blush painted across her face. "Did you catch the girl?"

"Er..." It was much easier to be mad when he was in the heat of the moment. "Don't worry about that for now. Just rest."

She let out a small laugh, face creased in pain as she did so. "I see. I'm sorry I failed you, Sir," she closed her eyes again, the blush still strawberry pink on her cheeks.

"Hey, Flynn, about this afternoon," the heavy white doors swung open, revealing the guild master, a grin on his face. As his dark eyes scanned the room, the grin melted to a scowl, his eyes hardening.

"Is she dead?" He asked as his swift strides crossed the room, picking up the limp body of Rosella like a baby, uncharacteristically pale head hanging down stiffly in the air, arrestingly blue hair hanging like weeds draped on a corpse.

"I--"

"Never mind, I know the answer," Yuri cut off the commandant with a turn of his heel, striding from the room with a confidence only Yuri could pull off in the face of such a situation. "I'll send a healer to your room momentarily."

As the door shut behind the dark-haired man, another door closed in his heart. They, whoever _they_ is, always talk about opening the doors of opportunity, but they never give out advice about when doors close. Do you jam your metaphysical foot in that door, or do you just stand there, paralyzed, as it slams shut in your face? Do you scream and pull and break down that door, or do you accept it and move on?

"Yuri..." Flynn felt tears swim under his eyes. No, he couldn't show any weakness in front of his subordinates, especially with his second-in-command like this. Painfully swallowing his unshed tears, he busied himself with charging up another first aid spell, focusing on keeping his breathing steady.

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Yuri shifted his grip on the motionless girl. "You can stop pretending to be unconscious, Rosy," he deadpanned.

A sigh. Curling her head upwards, she draped one arm around his neck, holding herself up.

"Don't blame me because you got into a fight with your boyfriend," she replied curtly. The effect of losing, or rather, not winning, was still having an effect on her, not to mention the rather vibrant red trail she was leaving down the stairs they were on.

"Don't, Rosy," Yuri grumbled as he broke into a run down a deserted hallway, feet echoing off the marble walls. Letting out a hiss of pain, Rosella's free hand drifted up towards her shoulder, her eyes shooting daggers at the man she had come to see as her elder brother. Seeing her discomfort, the raven slowed to a walk, ignoring the steady, warm stream of red flowing down his arm.

"So, care to explain?" He asked, bright Vesperion sunlight beaming in from one of the hallway's windows illuminating his raven tresses. After much discussion, Brave Vesperia had decided they wanted a city to call their own, rather than following the conventions of another. A place where they could start over from scratch, as if reversing the political flow of time. From a time where there were no Cumores, Ragous or Alexeis. From a time where justice meant justice for all. Thus, Vesperion was born. Although in the beginning it was called Karol's Magical Kingdom, at the boy's request. That hadn't gone over so well with the new townspeople.

Letting out an overly dramatic sigh, Rosella twisted to reach a sitting position, blowing her long bangs out of her amethyst eyes. "Well, long story short, Flynn and I were discussing... something... and then when I left, he yelled for me to stop, which his flunkies took to mean 'Attack!'," she laid her head on his shoulder as she finished her short spiel, letting her eyes flutter close.

"And you got knocked out by _Sodia_?" Yuri snickered, reaching up to pull the blood encrusted band from her hair. "The girl couldn't beat me with a giant tower on her side."

"That's _not_ what happened," Rosella snapped, not bothering to open her eyes. "Besides, Witcher was with her. And you have more than three artes to work with."

"Of course, Rosy. Blame it on your lack of skill with artes," Yuri chuckled as he nudged open the door to the healer's wing. Which, of course, in Yuri's terms meant kicking it open.

Scowling at him as he lowered her onto a pristine white bed, she slipped under the thin cover, turning on her shoulder. Minutes passed with her mind occupied with nothing but the sharp, crowding pain marring her back, a thin stream of blood slipping down her torso.

After minutes that stretched to grotesque hours in her injured mind, two pairs of footsteps neared her, a low chant of a healing spell filling her ears as Yuri took a seat in front of her, his visage a perfectly passive poker face.

"You send a healer to Flynn?" She asked, letting out a shallow breath of relief as the healing magic poured into her, sealing the gash in her back. With a pop, new flesh began to burst from her back with a soft bubbling sensation. Pushing herself up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, nodding to the hooded healer.

"You'll get there eventually," Yuri said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Why me?"

"You know you want to," Yuri laced his fingers behind his head, playing with his ponytail. "Besides, we can't spare any healers at the moment -- they're all playing doctor for the townspeople who got injured by the knights."

"Fine, fine," Rosella snorted. "I need to get my knife back anyways."

"Have fun!" Yuri called out cheerfully as she stepped lightly from the room, any thoughts of Imperial schemes cleared from her mind.

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)

Several first aids later, Flynn felt fatigue setting in, and Sodia was looking only marginally better. There was a reason he was a swordsman, and even with his best efforts his second-in-command was hardly spry and on the move.

"Where's that healer?" He muttered as his lips grudgingly traced the words to the spell for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

When the heavy white doors finally groaned open, he let out a long sigh of relief, standing. That is, until he saw the figure standing in the doorway. Her hair was down now, a bone straight curtain of blues with a glimmer of purple. The cut almost reminded him of... no.

"What?" Rosella asked, sarcasm biting through her words. "You asked for a healer, didn't you?" Crossing the room, she stood over Sodia, inspecting the sleeping body.

"Well, yes, it's just that," Flynn trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

"You don't trust me?" Rosella finished his sentence, nudging Sodia with her foot.

"D-don't do that!" The girl looked up, surprise evident on her face, as she stared at the little mage, his little body shaking all over.

"Excuse me?"

"I-I said not to do that!"

She spat on the rug, the saliva dyed red. "Do what?"

"Things like that!" Witcher yelled, gaining confidence. "You should give us respect! We deserve as much respect as you do!"

A sneer grew on her face. "Respect isn't something you give," she laughed harshly. "It's something you earn."

"Well, the commandant is standing right behind you!" Witcher squeaked, clenching his fists. "I'm sure he's earned respect from 'Your Greatness'!"

Her laughing grew, reminiscent of harsh barking. "Him least of all," her fists slowly curled. "If he's the head of the knights, why are the knights like this?" She took a menacing step towards Witcher. "Do you know why there are no healers to help his little stalker here? It's because all of our healers are out saving the people the knights almost killed in their little power trip."

She was almost on top of him now, her eyes shining with malice. "Want to know what my previous occupation was? Assassination."

"Y-you," Witcher breathed. "You were in the Blood Alliance! You helped Alexei!"

"What do I care? That's not the point of the story. Not even the Blood Alliance--" She shook her head haughtily. "No, not even _Barbos _was as heartless as the Empire is. At least the Blood Alliance looked out for their own men. Why should I pay respect to a man who's at the head of all of this?"

"It's not Sir Flynn's fault!"

"Witcher, please," Flynn stepped forward, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Turning to face Rosella, he mustered the most placid smile he could force his face into cooperating with. "Miss Rosella, I understand your distaste for the empire. I must--" No, he couldn't say he _agreed_, what kind of image would that make for the empire? "However, I hope that someday I can earn your respect not as the commandant, but as a person. No, as a friend."

"Uh..." Rosella stared at him, wide eyed. Who did he think he was, being so polite? It rubbed her the wrong way. If life gives you lemons, fling them right back. Surely that was the only way to live. "Well, then..."

"That's not even a legitimate answer to the question," Witcher piped up, earning himself a dirty glare from the young guild member.

"Do you want the girl healed, or not?" Rosella snapped, flicking her sword free of its holder. Walking over to Sodia, she positioned the tip lightly upon the sleeping woman's chest, grazing the steel armor.

"St--" Witcher started forward, only to be forcefully restrained by Flynn.

"Don't," he breathed, taking a few steps back.

"Oh, blessed blade," Rosella raised her sword above her head. "Lend me your power!" Green light shimmered beneath metal as she brought the blade down into Sodia's chest, slicing cleanly through flesh. Slowly, like a lazy dragon dragging itself from slumber, the light began to seep into the body, new flesh bubbling to the surface, flowing wounds halting to a stop.

Eyelids fluttering over glassy orbs, Sodia pushed herself upright, squinting in the bright light of the now afternoon. Slowly she rubbed her eyes, forcing the room into focus.

"You!" Seeing Rosella, she was on her feet in a flash, hand resting menacingly on the hilt of her sword.

"It's alright, Sodia," Flynn called, stepping forward. Eyes flicking over the guild member, then commandant, her hand reluctantly drifted away from the familiar hilt, a tremor shaking her body as she knelt down, supporting herself on her hands and knees.

"Sodia!" Witcher cried, running up to the woman, who provided only a ghost of a smile.

"I'm fine, Witcher," she replied, a hint of annoyance running up her voice. Why was she the one who fell? Why was that girl looking as good as new? And why, why couldn't she earn respect from the man she admired most?

"Am I done here, then?" An adolescent voice drifted across the room, irritation rumbling within the sound like a hulking beast beating at the walls of polite inquiry.

"Yes, thank you very much," Flynn nodded, straining to keep his vanilla-smooth smile."Oh, just one thing."

Sighing, Rosella turned to him, sarcastic skepticism shooting through her eyes as she slid her knife back into the holder at her thigh. It now carried only the faintest sheen of bronzish red, glinting evilly from her leg.

"Would it be possible you ask Yuri if I may speak with him?"

"Sure, I'll send a messenger."

A real smile breaking through his suave mask, Flynn nodded to the girl as she stepped through the doorway. "When would the messenger be sent out?"

As she closed the door behind her, she waved her hand dismissively.

"You'll get there eventually."

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)

A/N: Ah ha! Finally finished another chapter! Please review -- I really appreciate all the help seeing all the holes in the stories I weave.


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